Carrier and system for launching motor torpedo boats



May 25, 1943. c, po s 2,319,855

CARRIER AND SYSTEM FOR LAUNCHING MOTOR TORPEDO BOATS Filed April 16, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR JarZ Z. firs-fiery May 1943; c. T. FoR'sss'Re 2,319,855

CARRIER AND SYSTEM FOR LAUNCHING MOTOR IORPEDO BOATS Filed April 16, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 28 E5 24 2.9 45 [g6 44 as arm' o zz Patented May 25, 1943 CARRIER AND SYSTEM FOR LAUNCHING MOTOR TORPEDO BOATS Carl T. Forsberg, New York, N. Y.

Application April 16, 1941, Serial No. 388,740

' 2 Claims. (01. 114-435) This invention relates generally to a ship for carrying motor torpedo boats and a system for launching said boats.

It is an object of my invention to provide a ship of this character having a compartment or compartments for storing motor torpedo boats and which is equipped with mechanism for moving said boats in the compartments and for lifting the boats out of the hold of the ship and across the deck and launching them on the water.

Another object i to provide means to minimize the effect of the rolling of the ship on said mechanism. v

Another object i to provide means to prevent the motor torpedo boats from fouling the carrier ship when they are launched on the water.

Still another object is to provide mean for preventing undue movement of the motor torpedo boats when in the compartments in the hold of the ship.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the description of the invention to follow taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a side view of my improved carrier ship with a portion of the hull broken away to show the interior thereof.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the ship with part of the upper deck broken away to show the interior and showing one of the torpedo boats launched and free of the ship.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the hatchway showing one of the torpedo boats in position to be lifted out of the hatch.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view with one.

of. the torpedo boats launched on the water.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through the upper end of the cradle and connected upper guide rail.

The present invention is illustrated a applied to an ordinary merchant ship I having a hull II and upper deck I2 which carries part of the superstructure of the craft to be hereinafter mentioned. The lower deck is provided with a steel double bottom I3.

The interior of the hull is provided with two compartments I4 and I for storage of motor torpedo boats I6 which are to be transported out to sea and launched. Directly above each compartment I4 and I5 is a hatch or door I! to provide an entrance into and exit out of the hold for the torpedo boats.

Mechanism is provided in the compartments for storing or cradling the torpedo boats and for moving them to and from the hatch. This mechanism includes a cradle device comprising a U-shaped girder I8 along which the keel rests. The girder I8 is supported on two spaced cross arms I9. At the ends of the two cross arms are castors or rollers 2| adapted for universal movement. Hingedly supported on the girder adjacent each cross arm I9 are opposed block 22 on the outer free end of which is an arcuate shaped member 29 adapted to engage the bilge portion of the torpedo boat to help support it and prevent it" from sidewise movement. There is a cradle for each torpedo boat I6 and each cradle when supporting a boat in stowed position in the hold of the ship is prevented from unnecessary movement by fastening its upper end to the upper deck I2 or by Wedging or other suitable means. The cradles travel on the rollers 2I on the surface of the lower deck I3 in only tWo directions, i. e. athwartships and fore and aft, to and from a position under the hatch. The cradles also may be moved by man power. The plating of the double bottom I3 may be provided with strips of steel along the tracks travelled by the wheels 2I to reinforce and even said plating.

The present invention also contemplates mechanism for lifting the torpedo boats out of the hold of the ship and over the upper deck for launching over the side of the ship onto the water. This mechanism includes an overhead crane on the upper deck and comprises an upright tower 23 adjacent to and on each side of the hatchway I1 and these towers support girders 24 as shown in Fig. 4.

Movably mounted on the transverse girder 24 is a trolley or carriage device consisting of two girders 26 joined by end beams 21 which beams are supported on rollers 28 which carry the trolley along rails 29 on the upper surface of the girders 24. The rails 29 may be curled around at their ends to form a stop 30 for the trolley. Depending from the girders 26' adjacent each end thereof is a guide rail, 3|. These rails 3| extend downwardly to a point just above the top end of the hatchway as seen in Fig. 3. Mounted in the hatchway at the forward and after coaming thereof is another guide rail 32 which is split and hinged at 33 to permit movement of the lower part thereof away as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 to permit positioning of the cradle under the hatch. The bottoms of the lower guide rails 32 may be fastened to the double bottom I3 by means of a sliding bolt 34 adapted to sit in an opening in said bottom.

The trolley or carriage is adapted to be moved to a position over the hatchwa where the guide rails 3| and 32 are in alignment with'eaoh other. When in such alignment as shown in Fig. 3, the two rails form a substantial continuous guide for the vertical movement of the cradle device and its torpedo boat. The upper guide rail 3| is C-shaped in cross section as shown in Fig. and the outer surface of the upright member of the cradle is formed with beaded ends 35 to prevent detachment of the cradle from the guide rail in a transverse direction but permitting the cradle to move up and down in said guide rail.

The cradle and its torpedo boat is raised and lowered out of and into the hold by a block and their outer end extend beyond the side of the ship and then the trolley or carriage device with the cradle and torpedo boat is moved to the outer ends of the overhanging portions of the girders.

The mechanism for moving the girder 24 transversely over the deck comprises a motor 39and cable 40 passing over sheaves 4| and having one end fastened to one end of the girder 24 as indicated at 42 and its other end fastened to the other end as indicated at 43. This cable 4!! also tends to equalize the movement of the girders helping to prevent them from unnecessary movement when the ship oscillates.

The trolley or carriage is moved by means of a motor 44 on said carriage which operates a cable 45 which passes over a sheave 46 at one end of the girder 24 and then around a sheave 4! on the carriage and then around a sheave 48 at the other end of the girder 24. This cable 45 will also tend to equalize the movement of the carriage and prevent undue movement thereof.

The cradle and its torpedo boat are lowered into the water as shown in Fig. 4 by the block and falls device 36 but before lowering a spring line 49 should be belayed to a bitt 50 just for-.

All launching should be done on the lee side of the ship. In lowering the cradle and its boat into the water, all the crew are aboard and the boat ready to run as soon as it is afloat. The

ship should be proceeding at about four knots and the lowering timed to meet a wave as it is coming up. The launched torpedo boat should have its rudder set away from the ship, for instance, the right rudder in the case of the torpedo boat 52 shown in Fig. 2.

The speed of the ship, i. e., four knots, combined with the tight spring line and its point of attachment to the deck forward of amidships of the torpedo boat and the position of the rudder of the torpedo boat will cause the torpedo boat, for instance the launched boat 52 in Fig. 2, to sheer away from the-ship very quickly as soon as the boat is waterborn. The'torpedo boat will remain sufiiciently clear of the ship as long as the foregoing conditions are maintained. When the torpedo boat is thus positioned away from the ship, .its engines are started and the spring line cast off from the boat permitting the boat to go safely on its mission. The operations are then reversed and the empty cradle is returned to its stowage point in the hold.

The improved ship may be of any desired size but preferably of considerable length and beam, such as for instance, 679 feet between perpendicular and feet be'a'mfwith two compartments of about 215 feet long each for the stowage of 'motor torpedo boats. Such 'a ship is long enough to pitch but slightly and wide enough not to roll excessively in a moderate sea and is adapted to carry about thirty torpedo boats.

I claim:

1. A motor torpedo boat carrier including a ship having upper and lower decks, a compartment between the decks for stowing motor torpedo boats, a hatch in the upper deck communieating with said compartment, a movable cradle in said compartment for supporting a torpedo boat, vertical guide rails in said compartment adjacent and supported by said hatch, upstanding arms on said cradle adapted to interlock with said guide rails for guiding the vertical movement of the cradle, a travelling carriage on the upper deck for carrying said cradle across the upper deck, depending guide rails carried by said carriage adapted to align with the guide rails in said compartment for coacting with the arms on said cradle.

2. A motor torpedo boat carrier including a ship having upper and lower decks, a compartment between the decks for stowing motor torpedo boats, 'a'hatch in the upper deck communicating' with said compartment, a movable cradle in said compartment for supportin a torpedo boat, vertical guide rails, U-shaped in cross section, in said compartment, adjacent and supported by said hatch, upstanding arms on said cradle having beaded portions adapted to interlock with said guide rails for guiding the vertical movement of said cradle, a travelling carriage on the upper deck for carrying said cradle across the upper deck, depending guide rails, C-shaped in cross section, carried by said carriage and adapted to align with the guide rails'in said compartment for coacting with the beaded portions of the arms on said cradle.

' CARL T. FORSBERG. 

